BATON ROUGE – The No. 2-ranked LSU track and field teams will join the national championship chase again this weekend at the NCAA Indoor Championships after combining for 28 entries for the meet beginning Friday at the Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium in College Station, Texas.
The 2011 indoor season will come to an end this weekend as the premier programs nationwide compete at the NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships on Friday and Saturday.
After earning a fourth-place finish with nine entries at the NCAA Indoor meet a season ago, the men have seen a dramatic improvement in their performance in 2011 and are sure to compete for the national crown with 15 entries competing in nine different events this weekend.
The Lady Tigers, who earned a third-place finish in the final team standings with 11 entries into the event a season ago, are poised for another strong performance at this year’s championship as they have also improved with a total of 13 entries competing in eight different events at the meet this weekend.
Senior star Walter Henning enters the meet as a heavy favorite to defend the NCAA Indoor crown he won a year ago in the men’s 35-pound weight throw as he holds the nation’s No. 1 ranking in the event with an impressive seasonal-best mark of 76 feet, 6 ½ inches. That performance actually ranks No. 1 in the nation by more than three feet as Southeastern Louisiana’s Adonson Shallow follows at 73-3 ¼.
The Bowerman Award candidate is riding a streak of 16-straight wins against collegiate competition as he enters the meet with 10-straight wins in the weight throw and six-straight wins in the hammer throw.
Henning is not the only Tiger looking to score big points this weekend as three athletes are declared in the meet in two different events, including senior Zedric Thomas and junior Kyron Blaise in both the long jump and triple jump and junior Horatio Williams in both the 60-meter dash and 200-meter dash.
Thomas actually owns the nation’s No. 3-ranked mark in the long jump at 26-6 ½ and No. 7-ranked mark in the triple jump at 53-3 ½. Blaise boasts seasonal-best marks of 25-6 ¼ in the long jump and 53-8 ¼ for the triple jump, while Williams has qualified at 6.61 in the 60 meters and 20.83 in the 200 meters.
Three Tigers are set to make return trips to the NCAA Indoor Championships after making their first ever appearance a year ago, including juniors Michael Lauro in the weight throw and Barrett Nugent in the 60-meter hurdles and sophomore Caleb Williams in the 400-meter dash.
Not only are they qualified for the meet, but each is ranked among the Top 10 performers in the NCAA in their events as they compete with All-America aspirations. Nugent is currently tied for No. 6 nationally in the hurdles with a top time of 7.73, while Lauro ranks No. 7 in the weight throw with a best throw of 70-7 and Williams ranks No. 8 in the 400 meters with a seasonal-best time of 46.08.
Also set to make their NCAA Indoor Championships debut for the Tigers in an individual event this week are senior Gabriel Mvumvure in the 200-meter dash, junior Riker Hylton in the 400-meter dash, junior Marcus McGehee in the pole vault and sophomore Damar Forbes in the long jump. Forbes currently ranks No. 5 nationally in the long jump with a seasonal-best performance of 26-3.
The Tigers also feature the nation’s No. 4-fastest 4×400-meter relay team as Keyth Talley, Hylton, Robert Simmons and Caleb Williams combined to run 3 minutes, 5.61 seconds at the SEC Indoor meet.
The Lady Tigers are sure to be led during the week by their 200-meter sprinters as sophomore Kimberlyn Duncan (22.78) and Semoy Hackett (22.84) boast the No. 1 and No. 2 performances in the world with the 2011 indoor season. Junior Rebecca Alexander (22.96) also ranks No. 6 in the NCAA this season.
Hackett, who is also a member of the Bowerman Award Watch List this season along with Henning, has a chance to score big points for the Lady Tigers during the national meet this weekend as she also ranks in a tie for No. 5 nationally in the 60-meter dash with a seasonal-best time of 7.24.
Three Lady Tiger seniors will compete in their final NCAA Indoor Championships in an LSU uniform for the team as All-Americans Brittani Carter, Brittany Hall and Melissa Ogbourne have earned entry into the meet. Carter actually owns the NCAA’s No. 3-ranked performance in the high jump with a mark at 6-1 ¼. Ogbourne also ranks in the Top 10 in the triple jump with a seasonal-best performance of 43-2 ½.
Other Lady Tigers who are scheduled to make their return to the NCAA Indoor meet are senior Kenyanna Wilson in the 60 meters, senior Tenaya Jones in the hurdles and junior Cassandra Tate in the 400 meters.
Two Lady Tigers who are scheduled to make their NCAA Indoor Championships debut this week include sophomore Charlene Lipsey in the 800 meters and freshman Jasmin Stowers in the 60 hurdles. Each ranks among the nation’s Top 10 in their event as Stowers ranks No. 6 in the 60 hurdles with a time of 8.12, and Lipsey ranks No. 7 in the half mile with a seasonal best and PR of 2:04.55.
Like the Tigers, the Lady Tigers also boast the nation’s No. 4-ranked 4×400-meter relay tandem as Latoya McDermott, Tate, Hall and Jonique Day also combined for a seasonal best at the SEC meet at 3:33.21.
LSU’S 2011 NCAA INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS QUALIFIERS
MEN
Athlete, Event, Top Mark/Time
Kyron Blaise, Long Jump, 25-6 ¼
Kyron Blaise, Triple Jump, 53-8 ¼
Damar Forbes, Long Jump, 26-3
Walter Henning, Weight Throw, 76-6 ½
Riker Hylton, 400 Meters, 46.30
Michael Lauro, Weight Throw, 70-7
Marcus McGehee, Pole Vault, 17-7 ½
Gabriel Mvumvure, 200 Meters, 20.96
Barrett Nugent, 60 Hurdles, 7.73
Zedric Thomas, Long Jump, 26-6 ½
Zedric Thomas, Long Jump, 53-3 ½
Caleb Williams, 400 Meters, 46.08
Horatio Williams, 60 Meters, 6.61
Horatio Williams, 200 Meters, 20.83
Talley, Hylton, Simmons, C. Williams; 4×400 Relay; 3:05.61
WOMEN
Athlete, Event, Top Mark/Time
Rebecca Alexander, 200 Meters, 22.96
Brittani Carter, High Jump, 6-1 ¼
Kimberlyn Duncan, 200 Meters, 22.78
Semoy Hackett, 60 Meters, 7.24
Semoy Hackett, 200 Meters, 22.84
Brittany Hall, 800 Meters, 2:05.50
Tenaya Jones, 60 Hurdles, 8.18
Charlene Lipsey, 800 Meters, 2:04.55
Melissa Ogbourne, Triple Jump, 43-2 ½
Jasmin Stowers, 60 Hurdles, 8.12
Cassandra Tate, 400 Meters, 53.15
Kenyanna Wilson, 60 Meters, 7.26
McDermott, Tate, Hall, Day; 4×400 Relay; 3:33.21